Request for Applications: DRL Supporting Ukrainian Prisoners of War and Detained Civilians

Objectives may include, but are not limited to: 1) Ukrainian detained civilians and POWs and their families receive necessary support, including legal aid; 2) Local and international entities working to support Ukrainian detained civilians, including political prisoners, and POWs, including their families, are better equipped and better networked to provide them with necessary support and advocate on their behalf; and 3) Local and international audiences are better informed about these cases in order to advocate for the release of Ukrainian detained civilians, including children, political prisoners, and POWs.

Possible activities may include, but are not limited to: providing legal aid with the involvement of local and/or international lawyers; strengthening the capacity of local lawyers with respect to international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL); developing and empowering/energizing dedicated and/or cross-sectoral networks of support providers, lawyers, families of detained individuals, relevant entities among the government, international organizations, and non-governmental sector, including human rights and civil society groups, as well as victims/survivors themselves; capacity building and training for grassroots networks and/or associations of relatives and friends of detained individuals; support for national and international coalitions and advocacy efforts; documentation and analysis of cases; legal support for victims’ representation in court cases at domestic and international levels; psycho-social and other support for victims/survivors, families, as well as service providers; and international advocacy and awareness raising efforts.

All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Ceiling: $1,975,305
• Total Funding Floor: $0
• Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
• Period of Performance: At least 24 months

Proposals Content

• When developing competitive proposals, applicants should consider the following elements:
  • Leverage ongoing efforts in this space to further develop and expand existing networks, and build new ones, if necessary, inclusive of all relevant stakeholders.  Coordinate with existing official structures and bodies working to identify, locate, and return POWs and detained civilians, including children and those that are political prisoners, both as to official structures at the national level in Ukraine and at the international level, including specifically those supported by international organizations such as the ICRC and the UN.
  • Identify, involve, and support lawyers both domestically and internationally in order to support POWs, detained civilians, including children, and their families, and provide them with necessary assistance, including legal aid.
  • Shed light in a robust and comprehensive manner both at the national and international levels on cases of political prisoners held in (or in the context of) Crimea and the plight of the local population, particularly ethnic Crimean Tatars, in order to expose Russia’s abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.
  • Budget for a support fund, and develop clear selection criteria, to focus on possible emergency needs of lawyers, especially those working in restrictive environments, other service providers in need, family members, etc.  Also potentially set aside funds to provide emergency rehabilitation, psycho-social support, and other necessary types of assistance to detained civilians, including children, and/or POWs released or returned to Ukraine.
  • Integrate a trauma-informed, do-no-harm approach into the program design and overall implementation.  Such an approach will recognize the unique traumas affecting target communities, fully integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seek to actively resist re-traumatization.  In a practical sense, the program should also seek to build in mental health and psychosocial support for partners and their beneficiaries.

Ineligible Activities

• Activities that are not typically allowed include, but are not limited to:
  • The provision of humanitarian assistance;
  • English language instruction;
  • Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
  • Purely academic exchanges or fellowships;
  • External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;
  • Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary per security concerns;
  • Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;
  • Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives;
  • Initiatives directed towards a diaspora community rather than current residents of targeted countries.

Eligibility Criteria

• DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses.  DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process.  Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards.  Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs.  The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.
• Cost Sharing or Matching
  • Providing cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not an eligibility factor or requirement for this NOFO and providing cost share will not result in a more favorable competitive ranking.
• Other
  • Applicants should have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders, including private sector partners and NGOs, and have demonstrable experience in administering successful and preferably similar projects.  DRL encourages applications from foreign-based NGOs headquartered in the geographic regions/countries relevant to this NOFO.  Applicants may form consortia in order to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive program in one proposal.  However, one organization should be designated in the proposal as the lead applicant, with the other members designated as sub-award partners.  DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on applicants that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards, and these applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.

For more information, visit United States Department of State.